Transfer account systems, computer program products, and computer-implemented methods to prioritize payments from preselected bank account

ABSTRACT

A financial institution computer maintains one or more lists of account identifiers for accounts enrolled in a prioritized payment program and receives an automatic deposit associated with an account identifier for a first account enrolled in the prioritized payment program. The prioritized payment program includes pre-authorization of certain payment requests by select creditors. The financial institution computer generates prioritized payments from the first account to select creditors, responsive to one or more unfilled pre-authorized payment requests by the select creditors and then generates a sweep payment from the first account to an associated second account at a second financial institution, responsive to the incoming automatic deposit. A value for the sweep payment is a value of the automatic deposit minus a value of the one or more prioritized payments. The second account can be, for example, a demand deposit account or a prepaid card account.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 61/016,213, by Sorbe et al., titled“Transfer Account Systems, Computer Program Products, and AssociatedMethods” filed Dec. 21, 2007, and U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 61/052,454, by Sorbe et al., titled “Transfer Account Systems,Computer Program Products, and Methods to Prioritize Payments fromPreselected Bank Account” filed May 12, 2008, and all of which are eachincorporated herein by reference in their entireties. This applicationalso relates to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/338,365, by Sorbe etal., titled “Transfer Account Systems, Computer Program Products, andAssociated Computer-Implemented Methods” filed on the same day as thisapplication, Dec. 18, 2008; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/338,402,by Sorbe et al., titled “Transfer Account Systems, Computer ProgramProducts, and Associated Computer-Implemented Methods” filed on the sameday as this application, Dec. 18, 2008; U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/338,440, by Sorbe et al., titled “Transfer Account Systems, ComputerProgram Products, and Associated Computer-Implemented Methods” filed onthe same day as this application, Dec. 18, 2008; and U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/338,645, by Sorbe et al., titled “TransferAccount Systems, Computer Program Products, and Computer-ImplementedMethods to Prioritize Payments from Preselected Bank Account” filed onthe same day as this application, Dec. 18, 2008, each of which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates generally to the financial service andbanking industries, and, more particularly, to systems, computer programproducts, and associated computer-implemented methods of providingprioritized payments from proceeds of automatic deposits.

2. Background

Today, a bank customer can authorize a loan provider to debit acustomer's bank account, e.g., a checking, savings, money market, for aloan payment, or, more generally, a customer can authorize a creditor todebit the customer's bank account for a bill payment. Funds, however,may or may not be in the account at the time the creditor is authorizedto debit or receive the funds. Furthermore, the bank authorized to makethe debit controls the order of presentment. This allows the covering ofan overdraft to the bank itself first or processing larger items earlyin the day in order to generate more overdraft fees when multiplesmaller items are processed later in the day. Rather than bounce one bigcheck, for example, banks may choose to bounce several smaller checks togenerate extra fees.

It is known for banks to offer money management systems that have amoney management account and a discretionary fund account in which billsare paid directly from the money management account on acustomer-determined schedule, and excess funds beyond the customer'sbudget are transferred into the discretionary fund account. It is alsoknown that such a money management system can be used in conjunctionwith loan payments. These offerings, however, still require the customerto determine a budget and schedule of payments.

Other systems or computer-implemented methods include having an employermake loan payments on behalf of an employee directly out of payroll.Such solutions needlessly involve the employer in the finances of theemployee, which can raise privacy concerns and introduce complexity intothe payroll process.

Direct deposit proceeds, as the name implies, are often directlydeposited into a bank customer's deposit account, also known as achecking account, demand deposit account, savings account, or bankaccount. A direct deposit can be more generally known as an automaticdeposit. Partially as a result of the situation with funds not beingavailable to authorized creditors, among other reasons, many peoplesimply do not have a traditional checking, savings, or other depositaccount; they do not write checks. Instead, their automatic depositproceeds, such as payroll and government benefits, typically aredeposited into prepaid card accounts. Often these customers limitpayments to available funds on a prepaid card.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Applicants have recognized numerous problems with current offerings forloan and other bill payments and one or more sources of these problems.For example, Applicants have recognized that it can be difficult for acreditor to be assured of payment for an authorized debit using atraditional bank account, thus exposing creditors to risk of financialloss, unless a customer is willing and able to balance or manage thedeposit account, recording each and every deposit, check, AutomatedTeller Machine (ATM) withdraw, and debit card transaction, includingautomatic withdraws and bank fees. Also, from a customer's point ofview, there is a need to be able to prioritize loan payments or otherbill payments without having to balance a check book. That is, acustomer may like, for example, to have his car payment debited from theproceeds of his payroll check immediately, rather than ever havingaccess to the funds. There is a need for a form of financial discipline,particularly for those with tarnished credit histories. Prioritized loanand bill payment can improve the customer's payment history and, thus,improve the customer's credit rating or credit score to thereby resultin lower interest rates for the customer on any future loan. From a loanprovider's perspective, there is great value in being able to prioritizeloan payments. By reducing the risk of non-payment, in many casessubstantially so, the loan provider should be able to offer moreaffordable loan products, benefiting both the loan provider and alsoloan customers. Payment prioritization, according to embodiments of thepresent invention, should reduce the risk of non-payment as compared tothe risk that the source of the automatically deposited funds dries up(i.e., the worker's employment is terminated) or is redirected (i.e.,the worker changes the automatic deposit routing). As an additionalbenefit for customers, prioritized payments, according to embodiments ofthe present invention, expand the availability of credit and thusintroduce greater competition and financial savings as many financialinstitutions are currently unwilling to grant credit unless a customermoves checking account to the financial institution offering credit sothat the bank can preserve its “first in line on payday” status.

In view of the foregoing, Applicant provides embodiments of transferaccount systems, computer program product, and associatedcomputer-implemented methods of providing prioritized payments from theproceeds of automatic deposits according to the present invention.According to embodiments of the present invention, for example, atransfer account acts as a new form of pass-through or sweep account,allowing for the receiving of automatic deposit funds into a firstaccount, for the generating of prioritized payments of loan or billpayments from the first account to select creditors, and for generatinga sweep payment from the first account to a second account (typically acustomer's existing checking account) so that the customer typically hasaccess only to any surplus funds in the second account, that is, theautomatic deposits funds net of the prioritized payments.

According to embodiments of the present invention, various situationswith recurring automatic deposit funds can benefit from a transferaccount, including, for example, employer payroll funds to individuals,federal or state government electronic benefits payments to individuals,and bank-initiated payments to merchants for credit card sales.Recurring automatic deposit funds also include annuities, dividends,interest payments, lottery winnings, royalty payments, and other streamsof payments as understood by those skilled in the art.

According to embodiments of the present invention, various types ofpayment on behalf of the customer can benefit from embodiments of thepresent invention, including, for example: (1) payments to a third-party(i.e., credit card, utility, cell phone bills) under a license agreementfrom the bank providing the transfer account; (2) a customer-initiatedgift card purchase; (3) customer remittance of money to family locatedinternationally or outside of a country; (4) loan payments to the bankproviding the transfer account; (5) customer-initiated bill payment; (6)customer transfer of money to another transfer account customer, andothers as understood by those skilled in the art. Note that, accordingto embodiments of the present invention, prioritized payments may berecurring or non-recurring events.

As understood by those skilled in the art, Automated Clearing House(ACH) is the name of an electronic network for financial transactions inthe United States, regulated by the Federal Reserve. Embodiments of thepresent invention, for example, can use standard ACH payments to receivethe automatic deposit funds and to send the sweep payments to anotherfinancial institution, e.g., a second bank or a prepaid card processor.Prioritized payments can use ACH payments, wire transfers, and otherforms of intrabank or interbank transfers, as understood by thoseskilled in the art.

Embodiments of the present invention include a computer-implementedmethod of providing prioritized payments. Under the computer-implementedmethod, a first financial institution enrolls a first account, e.g. ademand deposit account, in a prioritized payment program and associatesthe first account with a second account at a second financialinstitution. The second account can be a prepaid card account, a demanddeposit account, a checking account, a savings account, a money marketaccount, a brokerage account, or other account as understood by thoseskilled in the art. As part of enrolling in the prioritized paymentprogram, the customer pre-authorizes payment requests by one or moreselect creditors from the first account. The first financial institutionmaintains one or more lists of account identifiers for accounts enrolledin the program. Next, the first financial institution receives anincoming ACH file or wire transfer as understood by those skilled in theart, including one or more automatic deposits for the first accountenrolled in the prioritized payment program. After processes theincoming ACH file or wire transfer, the first financial institution thengenerates one or more prioritized payments from the first account to oneor more select creditors responsive to the unfilled pre-authorizedpayment requests by the select creditors. Next the first financialinstitution generates an outgoing ACH file or wire transfer, responsiveto the incoming ACH file or wire transfer, including a sweep paymentfrom the first account to the associated second account at the secondfinancial institution. The sweep payment value is the value of the oneor more automatic deposits minus a value of the one or more prioritizedpayments, so that the customer typically has access only to any surplusfunds, that is, the automatic deposits finds net of the prioritizedpayments.

Embodiments of the present invention further include generating fees forthe first financial institution for the one or more prioritized paymentsfrom the first account enrolled in the prioritized payment program toone or more select creditors. Fees can be based per account, pertransaction, per vendor, or otherwise as understood by those skilled inthe art.

The embodiments of the present invention enable the offering of newproducts and promotions by requiring a customer to enroll in theprioritized payment program as a condition of a transaction. Forexample, a mobile phone provider's standard offer today, for example,can include a new phone for $100 upfront with a one-year serviceagreement at $75 per month. According to the embodiments of the presentinvention, a new offering can be a new phone for no upfront costs withone-year service agreement at $75 per month, with the agreementrequiring the routing of payroll funds via automatic deposit to atransfer account and pre-authorization for the payment of the monthlybill. In this example, the mobile phone provider receives, as part ofthe service agreement, prioritized payment each month from the proceedsof the customer's automatic deposit. The mobile phone provider can thenpass on the lower risk of loss created by the embodiments of the presentinvention to the customer in the form of lower fees, lower pricedequipment, or both.

In other embodiments of the present invention, a customer is required toenroll in the prioritized payment program as a condition of a loan. Forexample, a lending institution can offer a car loan to a customer havinga low credit score and without a traditional deposit account if thecustomer will enroll in the prioritized payment program, includingpre-authorizing loan payments to the lending institution and routing thecustomer's payroll deposit to a transfer account.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a bank can offer amerchant a discounted small business loan rate if the merchant willroute the automatic deposit of the merchant's credit card receipts to atransfer account and allow that bank prioritized loan payments from thecredit card receipts funds.

Embodiments of the present invention include a system for providingprioritized payments from the proceeds of automatic deposits. The systemincludes a first computer associated with a first financial institutiondefining a bank computer. The bank computer is associated with anelectronic communications network and positioned to receive and processan incoming ACH file or wire transfer including one or more automaticdeposits associated with an account identifier for a first accountenrolled in a prioritized payment program. The system also includes asecond computer associated with a second financial institution. Thesecond computer is positioned to receive an ACH file or wire transferfrom the bank computer (an outgoing file from the bank computersperspective) through the electronic communications network and,responsive to the ACH file or wire transfer, to credit to an associatedsecond account a sweep payment. The second computer can be, for example,a prepaid card processor positioned to post proceeds from an ACH file orwire transfer to a prepaid card. The sweep payment is a value of the oneor more automatic deposits minus a value of one or more prioritizedpayments to one or more select creditors. The system also includes oneor more third computers associated with one or more select creditorsdefining creditor computers. Each creditor computer is associated withthe electronic communications network and positioned to request the oneor more prioritized payments from the bank computer and to receive theone or more prioritized payments from the bank computer. The systemincludes a fourth computer associated with a source of automaticdeposits defining a deposit computer. The deposit computer is positionedto provide information for an automatic deposit for a first accountenrolled in a prioritized payment program through an electroniccommunications network associated with the source of automatic deposits.The system further includes a computer program product as discussedbelow.

Embodiments of the present invention include computer program productsto implement the computer-implemented methods described and shown.Embodiments of the present invention include a computer program product,stored on a tangible computer memory media, operable on a computer, thecomputer program product including a set of instructions that, whenexecuted by the computer, cause the computer to perform variousoperations. The operations include maintaining one or more lists ofaccount identifiers for accounts enrolled in a prioritized paymentprogram by a first financial institution. The prioritized paymentprogram includes pre-authorization of certain payment requests by one ormore select creditors. The operations also include receiving by thefirst financial institution an incoming ACH file or wire transfer,including one or more automatic deposits associated with an accountidentifier for a first account enrolled in the prioritized paymentprogram. The operations further include generating one or moreprioritized payments from the first account enrolled in the prioritizedpayment program to one or more select creditors. The prioritizedpayments are responsive to one or more unfilled pre-authorized paymentrequests by the one or more select creditors. The operations alsoinclude generating an outgoing ACH file or wire transfer including asweep payment from the first account enrolled in the prioritized paymentprogram to an associated second account at a second financialinstitution. The outgoing ACH file or wire transfer is responsive to theincoming ACH file or wire transfer, and a value for the sweep payment isa value of the one or more automatic deposits minus a value of the oneor more prioritized payments.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the operationsfurther include notifying a select creditor that the incoming ACH fileor wire transfer includes one or more accounts enrolled in theprioritized payment program prompting a payment request by the selectcreditor.

In addition, embodiments of the present invention include systems,computer program products, and associated computer-implemented methodsof providing prioritized payments for loan, bill, and other paymentsfrom the proceeds of automatic deposits as will be understood by thoseskilled in the art, so that a customer has effective access through thecustomer account or on a prepaid card only to a net value of funds.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the features and benefits of the invention,as well as others which will become apparent, may be understood in moredetail, a more particular description of the invention brieflysummarized above may be had by reference to embodiments thereof whichare illustrated in the appended drawings, which form a part of thisspecification. It is also to be noted, however, that the drawingsillustrate only various embodiments of the invention and are thereforenot to be considered limiting of the invention's scope as it may includeother effective embodiments as well.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system to provide prioritizedpayments from the proceeds of automatic deposits according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic flow diagram of a system to provide prioritizedpayments according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is another schematic flow diagram of a system to provideprioritized payments according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a computer-implemented method of providingprioritized payments from the proceeds of an automatic deposit accordingto an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a computer server having a computerprogram product stored in memory thereof according to an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIGS. 6A and 61B are respective front and back plan views of a prepaidcard according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a computer program product according toan embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a schematic flow diagram of a system to provide prioritizedpayments according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate embodiments ofthe invention. This invention may, however, be embodied in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as limited to theillustrated embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments areprovided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and willfully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

One source of the problems with current offerings for loan and otherbill payment, as recognized by Applicants, is that money that can beaccessed is often spent. The adage about money burning a hole in thepocket is apt. Although a bank customer can authorize a loan provider todebit the customer's deposit account for a loan payment, or, moregenerally, a customer can authorize a creditor to debit the customer'sdeposit account for a bill payment, there is no guaranty that the fundswill still be available at the time of the request for payment. That is,a creditor can debit the customer's account too late, or too early ifnew funds have not been deposited. Applicants recognize that a preferredtime for a debit is concurrent with the receipt of a deposit, especiallya recurring deposit such as payroll or government benefits.

Embodiments of the present invention include, for example, the use of a“transfer” account to receive proceeds from a direct deposit, to makeprioritized payments to select creditors, and to make a sweep payment ofsurplus funds to a second account. The delay associated with thetransfer account, defined as the delay from the receipt of the automaticdeposit by the first account to the receipt of the sweep payment by thesecond account, while minimal and preferably unnoticed by the customer,provides a window of opportunity for prioritized payments without thecustomer accessing the finds. In some cases, receipt of the sweeppayment can be the same day as the receipt of the automatic deposit bythe first account. In other cases, receipt of the sweep payment can takeup to two days for the proceeds to reach the second account from thereceipt of the automatic deposit by the first account. Therefore, solong as the customer only accesses funds via the second account, thepriority payments can be made before the customer has access to thefunds from the automatic deposit.

Embodiments of the present invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-7, forexample, provide embodiments of transfer account systems, computerprogram product, and associated computer-implemented methods ofproviding prioritized payments from the proceeds of automatic depositsaccording to the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention can include, for example, asillustrated in FIGS. 1-3, a source of automatic deposits 125, 201, 301.Then a first financial institution 101, 205, 305 receives an incomingACH file or wire transfer 203, 303 from the source of automatic deposits125, 201, 301. The incoming ACH file or wire transfer 203, 303 includesan automatic deposit directed toward the first account 107, 207, 307.The first financial institution 101, 205, 305 can then, for example,notify a select creditor 119, 221, 321 of the incoming ACH file or wiretransfer 215, 315. This query can include, for example, an accountidentifier for the first account 107, 207, 307. The select creditor 119,221, 321 can, for example, request a prioritized payment 219, 319. Thefirst financial institution 101, 205, 305 can then, for example,generate a prioritized payment 219, 319 to the select creditor 119, 221,321. Then the first financial institution 101, 205, 305 can generate asweep payment to a second customer account 115, 213, 313 via an outgoingACH file or wire transfer 209, 309 to a second financial institution109, 309. The sweep payment can be, for example, a value of theautomatic deposits minus the value of the prioritized payments.Therefore, so long as the customer only accesses funds via the secondaccount, the priority payments can be paid before the customer hasaccess to the funds from the automatic deposit.

In addition, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 6, the second financialinstitution can be, for example, a prepaid card processor 211 and thesecond account 213 can be associated with a prepaid card. See FIGS. 6Aand 6B for an example of a prepaid card 600 according to an embodimentof the present invention. Prepaid cards 600 are often associated with anaccount number 601. Prepaid cards 600 often have a magnetic strip 605,as understood by those skilled in the art, and are coded so that thecode received by a point of sale terminal or other interface processesthe code so that a prepaid or authorized value is associated with thecode to thereby, for example, allow purchases with the prepaid cardusage through a communications network 117, as understood by thoseskilled in the art, to authorize payment from a bank or other financialinstitution 211 and decrement the value associated with the card 600.

According to embodiments of the present invention, various sources ofautomatic deposits 125, 201, 301 can benefit from a transfer account,including, for example, employer payroll funds to individuals, federalor state government electronic benefits payments to individuals, andbank-initiated payments to merchants for credit card sales. Recurringautomatic deposit finds also include annuities, dividends, interestpayments, lottery winnings, royalty payments, and other streams ofpayments as understood by those skilled in the art.

According to embodiments of the present invention, various types ofpayment on behalf of the customer can benefit from embodiment of thepresent invention, including, for example: (1) payments to a third-party(i.e. credit card, utility, cell phone bills) under a license agreementfrom the bank providing the transfer account; (2) a customer-initiatedgift card purchase; (3) a customer remittance of money to family locatedinternationally or outside of a country where an account holder islocated; (4) loan payments to the bank providing the transfer account;(5) customer-initiated bill payment; (6) a customer transfer of money toanother transfer account customer, and others as understood by thoseskilled in the art. Note that, according to embodiments of the presentinvention, prioritized payments 219, 319 may be recurring ornon-recurring events.

As understood by those skilled in the art, Automated Clearing House(ACH) is the name of an electronic network for financial transactions inthe United States, regulated by the Federal Reserve. Embodiments of thepresent invention can use standard ACH payments to receive the automaticdeposit funds and to send the sweep payments to another financialinstitution, e.g., a second bank or a prepaid card processor. An ACHfile includes a record type, a transaction code, routing number, checkdigit, a DFI account number, the dollar amount, an individual ID,individual name, product type code, addenda indicator, and trace number,as understood by those skilled in the art. In addition, an ACH file maybe a batch file, as understood by those skilled in the art. Prioritizedpayments can use ACH payments, wire transfers, and other forms ofintrabank or interbank transfers, as understood by those skilled in theart.

Embodiments of the present invention include a computer-implementedmethod 400 of providing prioritized payments, as illustrated in FIG. 4.Under the computer-implemented method 400, a first financial institutionenrolls a first account, e.g. a demand deposit account, in a prioritizedpayment program and associates the first account with a second accountat a second financial institution. The second account can be a prepaidcard account, a demand deposit account, a checking account, a savingsaccount, a money market account, a brokerage account, or other accountas understood by those skilled in the art. As part of enrolling in theprioritized payment program, the customer pre-authorizes paymentrequests by one or more select creditors from the account. The firstfinancial institution maintains one or more lists of account identifiersfor accounts enrolled in the program 403. Next, the first financialinstitution receives an incoming ACH file or wire transfer, includingone or more automatic deposits for the first account enrolled in theprioritized payment program 405. After processes the incoming ACH fileor wire transfer, the first financial institution then generates one ormore prioritized payments from the first account to one or more selectcreditors responsive to the unfilled pre-authorized payment requests bythe select creditors 407. Next the first financial institution generatesan outgoing ACH file or wire transfer, responsive to the incoming ACHfile or wire transfer, including a sweep payment from the first accountto the associated second account at the second financial institution409. The sweep payment value is the value of the one or more automaticdeposits minus a value of the one or more prioritized payments, so thatthe customer typically has access only to any surplus finds, that is,the automatic deposits funds net of the prioritized payments.

Embodiments of the present invention further include generating fees forthe first financial institution for the one or more prioritized paymentsfrom the first account enrolled in the prioritized payment program toone or more select creditors. Fees can be based per account, pertransaction, per vendor, or otherwise as understood by those skilled inthe art.

The embodiments of the present invention enable the offering of newproducts and promotions by requiring a customer to enroll in theprioritized payment program as a condition of a transaction. In anexemplary embodiment of the present invention, a customer is required toenroll in the prioritized payment program as a condition of a loan. Forexample, a lending institution can offer a car loan to a customer havinga low credit score and without a traditional deposit account if thecustomer will enroll in the prioritized payment program, includingpre-authorizing loan payments to the lending institution and routing thecustomer's payroll deposit to a transfer account.

Embodiments of the present invention include a system 100, asillustrated in FIG. 1, for providing prioritized payments from theproceeds of automatic deposits. The system 100 includes a first computer103, having memory 105, associated with a first financial institution101 defining a bank computer 103. The bank computer 103 is associatedwith an electronic communications network 117 and positioned to receiveand process an incoming ACH file or wire transfer including one or moreautomatic deposits associated with an account identifier for a firstaccount 107 enrolled in a prioritized payment program. The system alsoincludes a second computer 111, having memory 113, associated with asecond financial institution 109. The second computer 111 is positionedto receive an ACH file or wire transfer from the bank computer 103through the electronic communications network 117 and, responsive to theACH file or wire transfer, to credit to an associated second account 115a sweep payment. The second computer 111 can be, for example, a prepaidcard processor positioned to post proceeds from an ACH file or wiretransfer to a prepaid card (see FIGS. 6A and 6B). The sweep payment is avalue of the one or more automatic deposits minus a value of one or moreprioritized payments to one or more select creditors. The system 100also includes one or more third computers 121 associated with one ormore select creditors 119 defining creditor computers 121. Each creditorcomputer 121 is associated with the electronic communications network117 and positioned to request the one or more prioritized payments fromthe bank computer 103 and to receive the one or more prioritizedpayments from the bank computer 103. The system 100 includes a fourthcomputer 127, having memory 129, associated with a source of automaticdeposits 125 defining a deposit computer 127. The deposit computer 127is positioned to provide information for an automatic deposit for afirst account 107 enrolled in a prioritized payment program through anelectronic communications network 117 associated with the source ofautomatic deposits 125. The system further includes a computer programproduct as discussed below.

Embodiments of the present invention include a computer program product500, as illustrated in FIG. 5, stored on a tangible computer memorymedia 503, operable on a computer 501, the computer program product 500including a set of instructions 505 that, when executed by the computer,cause the computer to perform various operations. The operations includemaintaining one or more lists of account identifiers for accountsenrolled in a prioritized payment program by a first financialinstitution 507. The prioritized payment program includespre-authorization of certain payment requests by one or more selectcreditors. The operations also include receiving by the first financialinstitution an incoming ACH file or wire transfer, including one or moreautomatic deposits associated with an account identifier for a firstaccount enrolled in the prioritized payment program 509. The operationsfurther include generating one or more prioritized payments from thefirst account enrolled in the prioritized payment program to one or moreselect creditors 511. The prioritized payments are responsive to one ormore unfilled pre-authorized payment requests by the one or more selectcreditors. The operations also include generating an outgoing ACH fileor wire transfer including a sweep payment from the first accountenrolled in the prioritized payment program to an associated secondaccount at a second financial institution 513. The outgoing ACH file orwire transfer is responsive to the incoming ACH file or wire transfer,and a value for the sweep payment is a value of the one or moreautomatic deposits minus a value of the one or more prioritizedpayments.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the operations canalso include notifying a select creditor that the incoming ACH file orwire transfer includes one or more accounts enrolled in the prioritizedpayment program prompting a payment request by the select creditor 215,315.

Embodiments of the present invention provide, for example, a programproduct 700 associated with a bank or other financial or lendinginstitution implemented in modules or components, as illustrated in FIG.7. An enrollment interface component 701 of a bank program product 700can, for example, receive customer information, e.g., accountinformation, contact information, including an e-mail address; receiveapproval of program terms, conditions, and privacy policy by thecustomer; and make a determination whether to accept the customer in theprogram as understood by those skilled in the art. In addition, anincoming ACH file and wire transfer analyzer module 705 can maintainlists of account identifiers for accounts in the prioritized paymentprogram, can monitor incoming ACH files and wire transfers, and canperform other associated tasks as understood by those skilled in theart. A prioritized payment and sweep payment manager can, for example,notify select creditors of an incoming ACH file or wire transfer,receive and process requests for prioritized payments, generateprioritized payments responsive to an incoming ACH file or wiretransfer, and generate sweep payments to a second account via anoutgoing ACH file or wire transfer. Other architectures andorganizations will be understood by those skilled in the art to beincluded within the embodiments of the present invention. Programproducts can be implemented in a variety of software and programminglanguages, including without limitation hypertext markup language(“HTML”), Java, C, C++, XML, and others as understood by those skilledin the art.

Other embodiments of the present invention provide, for example, asillustrated in FIG. 8, a stand-in account 823 associated with a payrollprocessing company 801, or a similar entity as understood by thoseskilled in the art, associated with the source of the automaticdeposits. A stand-in account 823 allows a customer to have transactionsapproved even when the primary authorization system is technicallyunavailable. This is achieved by one processor using data andinstructions provided to it by the authorizing processor to “stand in”and approve or decline transactions on the authorizing processor'sbehalf if the authorizing processor system is unavailable for real-timeprocessing. According to embodiments of the present invention, thecustomer can authorize a stand-in account 823 for the first account 807at the first financial institution 805. In addition, the computerprogram product associated with the first financial institution 805 canfurther include the operation of estimating a value of one or moreprioritized payments so that an estimated sweep payment can be generatedfrom the authorized stand-in account for the first account at the firstfinancial institution. This information is provided from the firstfinancial institution 805 to the payroll processing company 801 as partof a series of stand-in updates 827 to synchronize the stand-in accountand the first account 807. Next, the payroll processing company 801associated with the source of the automatic deposits, or a similarentity as understood by those skilled in the art, can generate anestimated sweep payment from the stand-in account to the second accountat the second financial institution 825. A value of the estimated sweeppayment is a value of an automated deposit minus an estimated value ofthe one or more prioritized payments. One feature of the stand-inaccount embodiments of the present invention is to hold back an amountfor the prioritized payments at an employer, a payroll processor 801, orother source of automated payments while allowing the rest of theproceeds of the automatic deposit to be accessed by the customer.Embodiments of the present inventions provide for different approachesto estimating the one or more prioritized payments for the stand-inaccount. An estimate of the one or more prioritized payments that errson the large side will result in relatively smaller estimated sweeppayment to the customer; whereas an estimate of the one or moreprioritized payments that errs on the small side will result in arelatively larger estimated sweep payment to the customer at the risk ofthere being insufficient funds to cover all of the prioritized payments,as understood by those skilled in the art.

A person having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that varioustypes of memory are readable by a computer such as described herein,e.g., deposit source computer, bank computer, credit computer, or othercomputers with embodiments of the present invention. Examples ofcomputer readable media include but are not limited to: nonvolatile,hard-coded type media such as read only memories (ROMs), CD-ROMs, andDVD-ROMs, or erasable, electrically programmable read only memories(EEPROMs), recordable type media such as floppy disks, hard disk drives,CD-R/RWs, DVD-RAMs, DVD-R/RWs, DVD+R/RWs, flash drives, memory sticks,and other newer types of memories, and transmission type media such asdigital and analog communication links. For example, such media caninclude operating instructions, as well as instructions related to thesystem and the computer-implemented method steps described above and canoperate on a computer. It will be understood by those skilled in the artthat such media can be at other locations instead of or in addition tothe bank to store program products, e.g., including software, thereon.

This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 61/016,213, by Sorbe et al., titled“Transfer Account Systems, Computer Program Products, and AssociatedMethods” filed Dec. 21, 2007, and U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 61/052,454, by Sorbe et al., titled “Transfer Account Systems,Computer Program Products, and Methods to Prioritize Payments fromPreselected Bank Account” filed May 12, 2008, and all of which are eachincorporated herein by reference in their entireties. This applicationalso relates to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/338,365, by Sorbe etal., titled “Transfer Account Systems, Computer Program Products, andAssociated Computer-Implemented Methods” filed on the same day as thisapplication, Dec. 18, 2008; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/338,402,by Sorbe et al., titled “Transfer Account Systems, Computer ProgramProducts, and Associated Computer-Implemented Methods” filed on the sameday as this application, Dec. 18, 2008; U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/338,440, by Sorbe et al., titled “Transfer Account Systems, ComputerProgram Products, and Associated Computer-Implemented Methods” filed onthe same day as this application, Dec. 18, 2008; and U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/338,645, by Sorbe et al., titled “TransferAccount Systems, Computer Program Products, and Computer-ImplementedMethods to Prioritize Payments from Preselected Bank Account” filed onthe same day as this application, Dec. 18, 2008, each of which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come tothe mind of those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachingspresented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings.Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not to belimited to the illustrated embodiments disclosed, and that modificationsand other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope ofthe appended claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A system for providing prioritize payments directly from each of plurality of automatic deposits prior to being made available to one or more enrollees enrolled for prioritize payments, the system comprising: a first computer being associated with a financial institution to thereby define a financial institution computer, the financial institution computer being configured to control a plurality of intermediary accounts with the financial institution, receive a plurality of electronic deposits from a plurality of depository institution computers through an automated clearing house network to define a plurality of automatic deposits, and to communicate with a plurality of second computers associated with a plurality of prepaid card processors to thereby define a plurality of prepaid card processor computers each being configured to control access to a plurality of prepaid card user accounts; and non-transitory computer memory encoded with computer program operable on the financial institution computer to perform a process of providing prioritize payments to one or more select creditors from the plurality of automatic deposits, the computer program comprising a set of instructions that when executed by the financial institution computer cause the financial institution computer to perform the operations of: creating one or more of the plurality of intermediary accounts for each of a plurality of enrollees enrolled in prioritize payments with the financial institution, each of the intermediary accounts being inaccessible by the plurality of enrollees and adapted to receive funds for a benefit of one or more of the plurality of enrollees, debits from funds received by one or more of the intermediary accounts being controlled by the financial institution; identifying one or more of the plurality of enrollees with one or more account identifiers listed in one or more received incoming ACH files, the one or more incoming ACH file being received from one or more of the plurality of depository institution computers and associated with one or more of the plurality of automatic deposits; determining, responsive to identifying the one or more of the plurality of enrollees with the one or more account identifiers, a value of one or more unfilled pre-authorized payment requests associated with the one or more of the plurality of enrollees with the one or more account identifiers to define one or more prioritize payments, the one or more unfilled pre-authorized requests being made by one or more select creditors, generating the one or more prioritize payments from one or more of the plurality intermediary accounts with the one or more account identifiers to the one or more select creditors responsive to determining the value of the one or more prioritize payments, the one or more prioritize payments being directly deducted from the one or more of the plurality of automatic deposits, and generating a payment from the one or more of the plurality intermediary accounts to one or more of the plurality of prepaid card user accounts for the benefit of the one or more of the plurality of enrollees, a value of the payment being a value of the one or more of the plurality of automatic deposits less the value of the one or more prioritize payments to thereby define the one or more sweep payments, the one or more of the plurality of enrollees only having access to one or more of the plurality of the automatic deposits less the one or more prioritize payments.
 2. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein one or more of the unfilled payment requests are initiated in response to a query from the financial institution computer responsive to the financial institution computer identifying the one or more of the plurality of enrollees with the one or more account identifiers; and wherein the one or more sweep payments are generated within twenty-four hours of receiving the incoming ACH file.
 3. A system as defined in claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of prepaid card user accounts are associated with a prepaid card, wherein the one or more sweep payments are define as the value of the one or more of the plurality of automatic deposits less the value of the one or more prioritize payments and less any fees for providing the prioritize payments, and wherein the generating the one or more prioritize payments to the one or more select creditors step further includes the value of the one or more prioritize payments comprises a first value for a first time period and a second value different than the first value for a second time period different from the first time period.
 4. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the one or more of the plurality of automatic deposits includes one or more of the following: an employer-initiated direct deposit of payroll; a government-initiated electronic transfer of benefits payment; and a bank-initiated payment to a merchant for credit card sales, and wherein the one or more prioritize payments are customer-initiated payments, including one or more of the following: a gift card purchase, a remittance to family located outside of a country where an account holder is located, and a bill payment to a third-party.
 5. Non-transitory computer memory encoded with computer program on a first computer being associated with a financial institution to thereby define a financial institution computer configured to control access to a plurality of intermediary accounts associated with the financial institution, receive a plurality of electronic deposits from a plurality of depository institution computers through an automated clearing house network to define a plurality of automatic deposits, and to communicate with a plurality of second computers associated with a plurality of prepaid card processors to thereby define a plurality of prepaid card processor computers each being configured to control access to a plurality of prepaid card user accounts, the computer program operable to provide prioritize payments directly from one or more of the plurality of automatic deposits prior to being made available to one or more enrollees enrolled for prioritize payments and comprising a set of instructions that when executed by the financial institution computer cause the financial institution computer to perform the operations of: creating one or more of a plurality of intermediary accounts for each of a plurality of enrollees enrolled in prioritize payments with the financial institution, each of the intermediary accounts being inaccessible by the plurality of enrollees and adapted to receive funds for a benefit of one or more of the plurality of enrollees, debits from funds received by one or more of the intermediary accounts being controlled by the financial institution; identifying one or more of the plurality of enrollees with one or more account identifiers listed in one or more received incoming ACH files, the one or more incoming ACH file being received from one or more of the plurality of depository institution computers and associated with one or more of a plurality of automatic deposits; determining, responsive to identifying the one or more of the plurality of enrollees with the one or more account identifiers, a value of one or more unfilled pre-authorized payment requests associated with the one or more of the plurality of enrollees with the one or more account identifiers to define one or more prioritize payments, the one or more unfilled pre-authorized requests being made by one or more select creditors, generating the one or more prioritize payments from one or more of the plurality intermediary accounts with the one or more account identifiers to the one or more select creditors responsive to determining the value of the one or more prioritize payments, the one or more prioritize payments being directly deducted from the one or more of the plurality of automatic deposits, and generating a payment from the one or more of the plurality intermediary accounts to one or more of the plurality of prepaid card user accounts for the benefit of the one or more of the plurality of enrollees, a value of the payment being a value of the one or more of the plurality of automatic deposits less the value of the one or more prioritize payments to thereby define one or more sweep payments, the one or more of the plurality of enrollees only having access to one or more of the plurality of the automatic deposits less the one or more prioritize payments.
 6. Non-transitory computer medium as defined in claim 5, wherein one or more of the unfilled payment requests are initiated in response to a query from the financial institution computer responsive to the financial institution computer identifying the one or more of the plurality of enrollees with the one or more account identifiers.
 7. Non-transitory computer medium as defined in claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of prepaid card user accounts are associated with a prepaid card, wherein the sweep payment is define as the value of the automatic deposit less the value of the one or more prioritize payments and less any fees for providing the prioritize payments, and wherein the generating the one or more prioritize payments to the one or more select creditors step further includes the value of the one or more prioritize payments comprises a first value for a first time period and a second value different than the first value for a second time period different from the first time period.
 8. Non-transitory computer medium as defined in claim 5, wherein the one or more of the plurality of automatic deposits includes one or more of the following: an employer-initiated direct deposit of payroll; a government-initiated electronic transfer of benefits payment; and a bank-initiated payment to a merchant for credit card sales, and wherein the one or more prioritize payments are customer-initiated payments, including one or more of the following: a gift card purchase, a remittance to family located outside of a country where an account holder is located, and a bill payment to a third-party.
 9. Non-transitory computer medium as defined in claim 5, wherein enrollment for prioritize payments are required as a condition of a loan, wherein accounts for the one or more select creditors are remote from the financial institution computer and the plurality of the prepaid card processors, and wherein the computer program causes the financial institution computer to perform the operation of: deducting a fee from the one or more sweep payments.
 10. Non-transitory computer medium as defined in claim 5, wherein the computer program causes the financial institution computer to perform the operation of: generating fees for the financial institution for the one or more prioritize payments to the one or more select creditors; and wherein the one or more sweep payments are generated within twenty-four hours of receiving the incoming ACH file.
 11. Non-transitory computer medium as defined in claim 5, wherein the financial institution is a federally-chartered bank subject to federal banking laws and regulations and not subject to state banking laws and regulations.
 12. A computer-implemented method to be performed by a first computer being associated with a first financial institution to thereby define a first financial institution computer configured to control access to a plurality of intermediary accounts associated with the financial institution, receive a plurality of electronic deposits from a plurality of depository institution computers through an automated clearing house network to define a plurality of automatic deposits, and to communicate with a plurality of second computers associated with a plurality of second financial institutions to thereby define a plurality of second financial institution computers each being configured to control access to a plurality of customer user accounts, the computer-implemented method to perform a process of providing prioritize payments directly from one or more of the plurality of automatic deposits prior to being made available to one or more enrollees enrolled for prioritize payments, the method comprising: creating, by a computer associated with a first financial institution to define a first financial institution computer, one or more of a plurality of intermediary accounts for each of a plurality of enrollees enrolled in prioritize payments with the financial institution, each of the intermediary accounts being inaccessible by the plurality of enrollees and adapted to receive funds for a benefit of one or more of the plurality of enrollees, debits from funds received by one or more of the intermediary accounts are controlled by the financial institution; identifying, by the first financial institution computer, one or more of the plurality of enrollees with one or more account identifiers listed in one or more received incoming ACH files, the one or more incoming ACH file being received from one or more of the plurality of depository institution computers and associated with one or more of a plurality of automatic deposits; determining, by the financial institution computer responsive to identifying the one or more of the plurality of enrollees with the one or more account identifiers, a value of one or more unfilled pre-authorized payment requests associated with the one or more of the plurality of enrollees with the one or more account identifiers to define one or more prioritize payments, the one or more unfilled pre-authorized requests being made by one or more select creditors, generating, by the financial institution computer, the one or more prioritize payments from one or more of the plurality intermediary accounts with the one or more account identifiers to the one or more select creditors responsive to determining the value of the one or more prioritize payments, the one or more prioritize payments being directly deducted from the one or more of the plurality of automatic deposits, and generating, by the first financial institution computer, a payment from the one or more of the plurality intermediary accounts to one or more of the plurality of prepaid card user accounts for the benefit of the one or more of the plurality of enrollees, a value of the payment being a value of the one or more of the plurality of automatic deposits less the value of the one or more prioritize payments to thereby define one or more sweep payments, the one or more of the plurality of enrollees only having access to one or more of the plurality of the automatic deposits less the one or more prioritize payments.
 13. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 12, wherein one or more of the unfilled payment requests are initiated in response to a query from the first financial institution computer responsive to the first financial institution computer identifying the one or more of the plurality of enrollees associated with the one or more account identifiers.
 14. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of customer user accounts are demand accounts and are associated with a debit card, wherein the sweep payment is define as the value of the automatic deposit less the value of the one or more prioritize payments and less any fees for providing the prioritize payments, and wherein the generating the one or more prioritize payments to the one or more select creditors step further includes the value of the one or more prioritize payments comprises a first value for a first time period and a second value different than the first value for a second time period different from the first time period.
 15. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 12, wherein the one or more of the plurality of automatic deposits includes one or more of the following: an employer-initiated direct deposit of payroll; a government-initiated electronic transfer of benefits payment; and a bank-initiated payment to a merchant for credit card sales, and wherein the one or more prioritize payments are customer-initiated payments, including one or more of the following: a gift card purchase, a remittance to family located outside of a country where an account holder is located, and a bill payment to a third-party.
 16. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 12, wherein enrollment for the prioritize payment is required as a condition of a loan, wherein accounts for the one or more select creditors are remote from the first financial institution computer and a plurality of the second financial institution computers associated with the plurality customer user accounts, and wherein the method further comprising: deducting a fee from the one or more prioritize payments.
 17. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 12, the method comprising: generating fees for the first financial institution for prioritize payments to the one or more select creditors; and wherein the one or more sweep payments are generated within twenty-four hours of receiving the incoming ACH file.
 18. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 12, wherein the first financial institution is a federally-chartered bank subject to federal banking laws and regulations and not subject to state banking laws and regulations.
 19. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of customer user accounts are prepaid card accounts and are associated with a prepaid card, wherein the one or more sweep payments are define as the value of the automatic deposit less the value of the one or more prioritize payments and less any fees for providing the prioritize payments.
 20. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 19, wherein one or more of the unfilled payment requests are initiated in response to a query from the first financial institution computer responsive to the first financial institution computer identifying the one or more of the plurality of enrollees associated with the one or more account identifiers. 